Sherry West, an employee of Dr. Kermit Gosnell and a Bear resident, testified in court today.

Written by

Sean O’Sullivan

The News Journal

PHILADELPHIA – A Delaware woman who worked for abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell recalled hearing one child “screaming” after it was delivered during an abortion procedure at Gosnell’s West Philadelphia clinic.

Sherry West, of Bear, said she was loyal to Gosnell – who is now facing multiple counts of murder for allegedly killing children after they were delivered alive at his clinic – but said the incident “really freaked me out.”

When Assistant District Attorney Joanne Pescatore pressed the 53-year-old West for specifics about the incident, West struggled to answer, clearly uncomfortable with the memory.

“I can’t describe it. It sounded like a little alien,” West testified, telling a judge and Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas jury that the body of the child was about 18 to 24 inches long and was one of the largest babies she had seen delivered during abortion procedures at Gosnell’s clinic.

West said she saw the child, whose face and features were not yet completely formed, lying on a glass tray on a shelf and she told a co-worker to call Gosnell about it and fled the room.

Gosnell is facing a possible death sentence if convicted.

During her two years working for Gosnell, West said she also saw patients deliver “specimens” in the toilet, which she made a co-worker remove, adding she called aborted fetuses “specimens” because “it was easier to deal with mentally.”

She also testified that she saw many women come in who looked like they were too far along in their pregnancies to have abortions.

West started working for Gosnell in late 2008, after being his patient for more than 20 years. West said she had previously worked at the Veterans Administration, doing preparation work in the operating room, but left in 2007 after suffering a nervous breakdown and being diagnosed with Hepatitis C that she contracted in the hospital.

West said she was desperate for money in 2008 because she was fighting with the VA over disability benefits and Gosnell agreed to hire her and pay her under the table. She said Gosnell, as her primary care doctor, was well aware that she had a nervous breakdown, was on the anti-anxiety drug Prozac and had Hepatitis C diagnosis.

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West is in federal custody and appeared in court in green prison clothes, She has already admitted to third-degree murder, delivering drugs that resulted in death, conspiracy and participating in a corrupt organization in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas in relation to the Gosnell case and faces a maximum penalty of 70 to 100 years at sentencing.

She is required to cooperate with prosecutors as part of her plea agreement. She is also facing prison time in a related federal case about the improper distribution of drugs at Gosnell’s clinic.

While West had some medical training during her 20 years with the VA, she testified that she received no formal training on conducting ultrasounds or administering drugs, which was part of her job at Gosnell’s clinic. Instead West said she was trained by other clinic staffers including a 16-year-old who worked there.

On the stand, West detailed the lax procedures at Gosnell’s clinic, including an incident on the night in 2009 when 41-year-old Karnamaya Mongar died following an abortion there. Prosecutors charge Mongar died due to an overdose of pain medication administered by Gosnell’s staff.

West said it was “hectic” and recalled how it took time for paramedics to get into the building because the back door was padlocked and no one had the key.

Prosecutor Pescatore also walked her through the incomplete and conflicting medical records from Gosnell’s clinic where it is not clear what drugs were administered, by who and when. She testified that at least one notation by Gosnell – that Mongar was feeling no pain afterward – was completely wrong.

However, West, who now has long hair pulled back in a ponytail and uses glasses to read, often answered “I don’t know” to prosecution questions and often had to re-read previous statements she made to police before recalling important details.

The direct examination of West ended just after noon and cross-examination by Gosnell’s attorney will take place after lunch.